Bosses of a music venue in Iceland have hit back at Morrissey over his claims they refused to ban meat from sale at his concert, insisting the issue was never even discussed. The former The Smiths star hit headlines this week (beg02Feb15) after complaining that he had to axe a planned gig at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland.
He blamed the cancellation on "the refusal of management at the Harpa Concert Hall to sell only vegetarian food on the night", but now the venue bosses and the promoters have hit back.
Halldor Guomundsson, from the Harpa Concert Hall, is adamant the issue of going meat-free for the evening was not discussed during negotiations.
He tells NME.com, "We were never asked about anything. I was never asked to speak to the restaurants here about whether they would serve meat on the night of the gig. There was no contract or anything. The date mentioned to us was towards the end of March. It's totally his decision, but it was strange for us to read about it on the Internet before we were asked about it."
Lisa Hanson, of concert promoters RR, adds, "We were just starting to look at venues for him and we thought this one would be good. The restaurant there is three floors up on the other side of the venue, it's not like they sell hamburgers right outside. He said he didn't want to play there and we said 'fine'. It was never a date. It was never booked."

Pop-rockers Hanson have vowed to press on with their Australian tour after doctors prescribed "vocal rest" for one of their members. Drummer/singer Zac Hanson has fallen sick on the band's tour Down Under and he has been ordered to rest his voice.
His brother bandmates have decided not to cancel the upcoming shows and will press ahead with a gig at Sydney's The Hi-Fi venue on Wednesday night (13Aug14).
In a series of posts on Twitter.com, Zac reveals he will still take to the stage with his siblings, but won't be singing as usual.
He writes, "Well I have lost my voice all together, but if you all are willing we will still make the HiFi rock tonight. You can't stop us!... Went to the DR (doctor) today and was told I need 'vocal rest' so I need the crowd tonight to do all my parts. You guys up for that?"

Pop stars Hanson are set to launch their first beer and music festival in their native Oklahoma after serving up their own brew last year (13). The MMMBop brothers unveiled their own Indian pale ale, titled MmmHops after their hit song, in the autumn (13) and now they have decided to bring together breweries across the state for their inaugural Hop Jam Craft Beer and Music Festival.
The one-day event will be held on 18 May (14) to coincide with American Craft Beer Week and it will feature a free concert headlined by Hanson.
The siblings are also offering aspiring musicians in Oklahoma the chance to join the line-up as their opening act by submitting demos for a public vote. The winner will be selected on 11 May (14).
Singer Taylor Hanson says, "Through The Hop Jam, our hope is that we can help support the craft beer community and foster a one-of-a kind music event, while also creating an anchor for the city's downtown renewal."

Lonestar guitarist Michael Britt is a married man - the country star wed fiancee Latashja Hanson over the weekend (05Apr14). The wedding news broke on the band's Facebook.com page with a 'selfie'-style shot of the newlyweds.

Pop star Isaac Hanson has become a father for the third time. The MMMBop hitmaker and his wife Nikki welcomed daughter Nina Odette on 11 March (14).
The couple, which wed in 2006, is already parents to sons Clark Everett, six, and James Monroe, five.
Hanson recently told People.com, "After more than five years of not having a baby in the house, having our first little girl is going to be fun. I know that Everett and Monroe are excited about being big brothers."
The 33 year old isn't the only new dad in the Hanson clan - his younger brother Zac and his wife Kate added son Abraham to their family in October (13).

DreamWorks
For the bulk of every Rocky and Bullwinkle episode, moose and squirrel would engage in high concept escapades that satirized geopolitics, contemporary cinema, and the very fabrics of the human condition. With all of that to work with, there's no excuse for why the pair and their Soviet nemeses haven't gotten a decent movie adaptation. But the ingenious Mr. Peabody and his faithful boy Sherman are another story, intercut between Rocky and Bullwinkle segments to teach kids brief history lessons and toss in a nearly lethal dose of puns. Their stories and relationship were much simpler, which means that bringing their shtick to the big screen would entail a lot more invention — always risky when you're dealing with precious material.
For the most part, Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman handles the regeneration of its heroes aptly, allowing for emotionally substance in their unique father-son relationship and all the difficulties inherent therein. The story is no subtle metaphor for the difficulties surrounding gay adoption, with society decreeing that a dog, no matter how hyper-intelligent, cannot be a suitable father. The central plot has Peabody hosting a party for a disapproving child services agent and the parents of a young girl with whom 7-year-old Sherman had a schoolyard spat, all in order to prove himself a suitable dad. Of course, the WABAC comes into play when the tots take it for a spin, forcing Peabody to rush to their rescue.
Getting down to personals, we also see the left brain-heavy Peabody struggle with being father Sherman deserves. The bulk of the emotional marks are hit as we learn just how much Peabody cares for Sherman, and just how hard it has been to accept that his only family is growing up and changing.
DreamWorks
But more successful than the new is the film's handling of the old — the material that Peabody and Sherman purists will adore. They travel back in time via the WABAC Machine to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the Trojan War, and 18th Century France, explaining the cultural backdrop and historical significance of the settings and characters they happen upon, all with that irreverent (but no longer racist) flare that the old cartoons enjoyed. And oh... the puns.
Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman is a f**king treasure trove of some of the most amazingly bad puns in recent cinema. This effort alone will leave you in awe.
The film does unravel in its final act, bringing the science-fiction of time travel a little too close to the forefront and dropping the ball on a good deal of its emotional groundwork. What seemed to be substantial building blocks do not pay off in the way we might, as scholars of animated family cinema, have anticipated, leaving the movie with an unfinished feeling.
But all in all, it's a bright, compassionate, reasonably educational, and occasionally funny if not altogether worthy tribute to an old favorite. And since we don't have our own WABAC machine to return to a time of regularly scheduled Peabody and Sherman cartoons, this will do okay for now.
If nothing else, it's worth your time for the puns.
3/5
Follow @Michael Arbeiter
//
| Follow @Hollywood_com
//

20th Century Fox Television
Before Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill rebooted the franchise, 21 Jump Street was the definitive teen television series. Part of the new Fox Network, this cop drama premiered and seemed to feature nearly every actor of the 1980s and '90s. It also made a young Johnny Depp a household name. The 1980s kitsch of the show makes it supremely addictive.
Baby-faced officer Tom Hanson (Depp) joins an elite group of young looking cops called the Jump Street division. The cops go undercover in high schools to solve crimes and shut down illegal drug runners, chop shops, and investigate major cases. The crew is made up of wise Sergeant Judy Hoffs (Holly Robinson Peete), goofball Officer Doug Penhall (Peter DeLuise), martial artist Sergeant Harry Truman Ioki (Dustin Nguyen), and under the leadership of Captain Adam Fuller (Steven Williams). Each week, the group would not only solve a major crime but also touch on a major social issue like rape, drug abuse, homophobia, or racism.
Although there is a slight cheese factor in some of the storylines and the police work is a little outlandish like The Killing, the series does pack a major entertaining punch. The series brought pretty deep storylines to its characters including the rape of Detective Hoffs, the hidden Vietnamese identity of Nguyen’s character, and the struggle when Hanson shoots a perpetrator.
There’s a perfect blend of great acting and the right level of 1980s/1990s camp to make the series funny, yet thought provoking. Sure, it’s a little crazy and borderline unconstitutional to have undercover cops in high schools. However, its refreshing to take a look back at what life was like before kids were twerking in sex videos on the internet and spending their time stuck to their phones. This series offers a time capsule of the era with the appropriate amount of embellishment and drama. Not to mention the novelty of seeing some A-list and B-list actors as baby-faced Canadian teenagers. Let's also not forget, that Robinson recorded the catchy theme song.
Not only is Depp a shining star but he’s joined by actors that went on to have huge careers. Vince Vaughn, Brad Pitt, Christina Applegate, Rosie Perez, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Blair Underwood all had guest-starring roles in the series.
You can catch all five seasons of the series on Hulu Plus.
Follow @Hollywood_com
//

Former The Office star Rainn Wilson is returning to the small screen in a new U.S. drama series. The Emmy-nominated actor wrapped his nine-year run on the popular sitcom last May (13), and now he is set to get serious in a new series created and produced by Bones boss Hart Hanson.
Backstrom is based on Swedish novelist Leif G.W. Persson's books about Detective Everett Backstrom, a troubled investigator who struggles to change his self-destructive behaviour.
The series is set to air on America's Fox Network.

Actress Lucy Hale has struck up a friendship with the Hanson brothers after confessing she is "obsessed" with their Christmas album, Snowed In. The Pretty Little Liars star has realised her dream of becoming a singer and before she performed at this year's Country Music Association's annual Christmas special, she admitted that one of her own holiday traditions involves the MmmBop hitmakers, whose holiday album was America's best-selling Christmas record of 1997.
Hale confessed, "My favourite Christmas album of all time was the Hanson Christmas album. I was so obsessed with Hanson - I'm still obsessed with Hanson."
The 24 year old later took to Twitter.com to share with her followers that her obsession lives on - and she just happened to be in the band's hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, when the pre-taped special aired in the U.S. earlier this month (Dec13).
She wrote, "So everyone knows my love for @hansonmusic by now. Hopefully it's not creepy. AND I'm in their hometown right now so im fangirling (sic) hard."
Youngest brother Zac Hanson took the time to reply to Hale and wrote, "Wish we were there to show you round".

Pop-rockers Hanson have called off a planned charity walk in the U.K. as a major storm hits the country. The brothers were due to host a barefoot trek around Manchester, England on Wednesday afternoon (05Dec13) ahead of the group's planned show in the city that night, but the event was called off due to the dangerous weather conditions.
A post on the band's Twitter.com page, reads, "NEWS: Today's walk with Hanson is cancelled do (due) to extreme winds in Manchester today. We will still donate for all who register!"
The stars have vowed to make donations to their Take The Walk campaign to ensure the charity does not lose money from the cancellation.
The Hanson brothers set up the organisation following a trip to Africa in 2007 and they have hosted barefoot walks all over the world to raise funds for the cause.